How are US senators elected?
The 17th Amendment to the Constitution requires Senators to be elected by a direct vote of those she or he will represent. Election winners are decided by the plurality rule. That is, the person who receives the highest number of votes wins.
How often are representatives and senators up for elections?
Members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms and are considered for reelection every even year. Senators however, serve six-year terms and elections to the Senate are staggered over even years so that only about 1/3 of the Senate is up for reelection during any election.
How were senators and representatives originally elected?
From 1789 to 1913, when the Seventeenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, senators were elected by state legislatures. Beginning with the 1914 general election, all U.S. senators have been chosen by direct popular election.
What is the purpose of the 17th Amendment?
Seventeenth Amendment, amendment (1913) to the Constitution of the United States that provided for the direct election of U.S. senators by the voters of the states.
Who elects the House of Representatives?
The U.S. House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.
Who elects members of the Senate?
United States senators have been elected directly by voters since 1913. Prior to that time, state legislatures chose the state’s senators. In the mid-1850s, however, the state legislature selection process began to fail due to political infighting and corruption.
Why do members of the House serve 2 years?
Connecticut Delegate Roger Sherman spoke of the necessity of regular elections during the Convention: “Representatives ought to return home and mix with the people. The Convention settled on two-year terms for Members of the House as a true compromise between the one- and three-year factions.
What is the difference between the Senate and the House of Representatives?
Senators represent their entire states, but members of the House represent individual districts. The number of districts in each state is determined by a state’s population. Each state has a minimum of one representative in Congress. The terms of office and number of members directly affects each institution.